Biden’s top team takes shape. Diversity is required in principle though not always in practice.

The President-elect’s closest circle of advisers seem to be selected on the basis of trust and experience.

WATCH: ‘I am not worried about Javid taking my job,’ insists Raab

“You have to look at who’s doing the talking up,” says the Foreign Secretary, when asked about rumours regarding a possible Cabinet reshuffle.

WATCH: Raab insists Government is working hard to avoid third national lockdown

The rest of the country needs to follow Liverpool’s example by moving into a lower tier, he says.

WATCH: Raab – ‘We can’t for the moment meet our target of spending 0.7 per cent’ on aid

“Britain is responding to a health emergency, but also an economic emergency, and every penny of public spending will rightly come under intense scrutiny.”

Our Cabinet League Table: Sunak is still top, and Johnson is back in positive territory – just

All in all, it’s much of a muchness – with Douglas Ross down by about 25 points, now that his Party Conference coverage has faded.

Profile: Liz Truss, Perky promoter of free trade with Japan – and, like Johnson, a disruptor

With her odd mixture of indiscretion and obedience, her contempt for liberal groupthink and love of freedom, she in many ways a useful ally.

WATCH: Raab – “Let’s rediscover our self-belief as a country.”

The Foreigin Secretary adds that “the days of being held over a barrel by Brussels … are long gone.”

Our Cabinet League Table. The Prime Minister falls into negative territory.

It’s a rotten springboard from which to vault into Party Conference as it begins today. But what goes down may go back up.

Swire’s diaries help show how Johnson entered Downing Street, and has so far managed to remain there

His capacity to win some of his severest critics round, and persuade them of his “greatness of soul”, helps explain his success.

The Conservative Party Conference programme – and which ministers are up and down

It’s speeches for Sunak, Patel and Raab; interviews in different formats for Gove, Hancock and others; while others still are relegated to panels…

WATCH: Raab – Why should we allow the EU to treat us with double standards?

“There’s a good deal there for the EU – we’d love to that free trade agreement, but if not we’ll fall back on Australian-style rules.”

Johnson plummets into the bottom third of our Cabinet League table

Last month, he was sixth from top. Now, he is eighth from bottom. Only six Ministers have a satisfaction rating of more than half.

Benedict Rogers: It’s time for Raab to bring Magnitsky sanctions to bear on those oppressing Hong Kong

The Foreign Secretary helped to author this important legislation. If Britain is to continue to take a robust stance against Beijing, he must now use it,

Our latest Cabinet Survey. Sunak stable at the top, but Hancock’s ratings are in poor health.

Meanwhile the Prime Minister continues to slide down the rankings, falling into the 40s for the first time since taking office.

Rob Sutton: Sir Philip Barton – a key player in Johnson’s quest for global Britain

The overhaul of the civil service continues with a new (and notably less Eurocentric) head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.